When we last spoke to Luxury Escapes co-founder Adam Schwab, back in 2020, the online business had hit almost $500 million in sales. Today the luxury deals and discounts travel brand is ringing up over $1 billion in sales revenue, a doubling in 5 years. And it’s founder says it’s growing profitably, adding not only retail outlets, but Loyalty programs as well, to its online offering for travellers. Adam says he’s learned a heck of a lot in that time… hope you enjoy Adam Schwab.

When we last spoke to Luxury Escapes co-founder Adam Schwab, back in 2020, the online business had hit almost $500 million in sales. Today the luxury deals and discounts travel brand is ringing up over $1 billion in sales revenue, a doubling in 5 years. And it&rsquo;s founder says it&rsquo;s growing profitably, adding not only retail outlets, but Loyalty programs as well, to its online offering for travellers. Adam says he&rsquo;s learned a heck of a lot in that time&hellip; hope you enjoy Adam Schwab.

Candid interviews with successful Self-starters. On Build It. They'll Come, you'll hear from some amazing Australian entrepreneurs who bet big to build great businesses. Journalist Helen Dalley interviews business innovators and visionaries on how they turned their lightbulb idea into a viable, sustainable enterprise. 

This podcast is about the human face behind taking a simple idea and turning it into a business or movement. It's the beating heart behind what it takes to build an empire, from concept to execution, and how they actually achieve it. Fuelled by blind faith and hard slog, how they transform their dream idea into concrete reality.

Journalist Helen Dalley interviews business innovators and visionaries on how they turned their lightbulb idea into a viable, sustainable enterprise.

Build It. They'll Come.

Luxury Escapes – Adam Schwab building a new, complete one-stop travel booking platform, still with deals and discounts

While navigating Australia’s mental health system to deal with his personal assessment and ongoing care, entrepreneur Zac Altman felt frustrated and thought, quite simply, there must be a better way to help the huge number of adults with ADHD get the proper care and support they need. To help solve what he saw as a very large unmet demand problem, Zac created and built the start-up Kantoko, a telehealth service offering online assessments and ongoing care for adults with ADHD, but using an unusual business model – subscription services. Kantoko has been operational since early 2024, with patients accessing Kantoko’s team of experienced ADHD psychiatrists and GPs focusing on mental health.

While navigating Australia&rsquo;s mental health system to deal with his personal assessment and ongoing care, entrepreneur&nbsp;Zac&nbsp;Altman&nbsp;felt frustrated and thought, quite simply, there must be a better way to help the huge number of adults with ADHD get the proper care and support they need. To help solve what he saw as a very large unmet demand problem,&nbsp;Zac&nbsp;created and built the start-up Kantoko, a telehealth service offering online assessments and ongoing care for adults with ADHD, but using an unusual business model &ndash; subscription services. Kantoko has been operational since early 2024, with patients accessing Kantoko&rsquo;s team of experienced ADHD psychiatrists and GPs focusing on mental health.

Kantoko – Zac Altman 2.0 innovating with an ADHD telehealth service, offering professional diagnosis and care for adults, via a subscription model

When Jesse Todd did grunt work on the IT “Help” desk in an investment bank many moons ago, he developed a passion for managing corporate data and information better. Over recent decades, as companies have got bigger, needing to hold ever more mountains of data and documents for compliance -- one of business’ biggest headaches -- Jesse saw a huge opportunity witnessing the way companies struggled to deal with those massive mountains of information, and turned his passion into reality by working away on a superior and elegant solution.

He and a small clever team he pulled together created and developed EncompaaS, a software platform that helps large companies and govt departments, mostly in highly regulated industries, manage and organise their massive amounts of data -  be it files, documents, emails, legal contracts, photos, videos - into a compliant  and efficient library of information. This not only allows the organisation to know what’s IN their data, and how to locate it quickly, but it can then leverage that for the company’s good use.

Jesse Todd has raised $30 million so far from investors, as he continues to develop EncompaaS to help solve the massive headache for corporates, that is data compliance and risk.

When Jesse Todd did grunt work on the IT &ldquo;Help&rdquo; desk in an investment bank many moons ago, he developed a passion for managing corporate data and information better. Over recent decades, as companies have got bigger, needing to hold ever more mountains of data and documents for compliance -- one of business&rsquo; biggest headaches -- Jesse saw a huge opportunity witnessing the way companies struggled to deal with those massive mountains of information, and turned his passion into reality by working away on a superior and elegant solution.
He and a small clever team he pulled together created and developed EncompaaS, a software platform that helps large companies and govt departments, mostly in highly regulated industries, manage and organise their massive amounts of data -&nbsp; be it files, documents, emails, legal contracts, photos, videos - into a compliant&nbsp; and efficient library of information. This not only allows the organisation to know what&rsquo;s IN their data, and how to locate it quickly, but it can then leverage that for the company&rsquo;s good use.
Jesse Todd has raised $30 million so far from investors, as he continues to develop EncompaaS to help solve the massive headache for corporates, that is data compliance and risk.

EncompaaS – Jesse Todd helps companies manage the massive burden and risk of data compliance

You could say Les Schirato had a key advantage in his early business journey… he married the boss’s daughter! The western Sydney born and bred son of Italian and Maltese migrants, Les started work at Vittoria Coffee before he’d even left school, loved it, and was asked back into the business while waiting for his HSC results. Les did indeed marry Luisa Cantarella, but he’d already earned his business stripes in the eyes of her father Orazio Cantarella, who’d started Vittoria in 1947 with his brother, importing Italian foods like cheese, pasta and mineral water. Les also had a successful stint outside the family business, having climbed executive ranks at Fiat.

But since those early days, once Les and Luisa Schirato gained control of Vittoria,  with other family members and more recently their son and daughter, they’ve built Vittoria into one of the largest and most successful family owned and run food and coffee groups in Australia. Along the way they turned Australia into a nation of coffee snobs and espresso lovers.

You could say&nbsp;Les Schirato&nbsp;had a key advantage in his early business journey&hellip; he married the boss&rsquo;s daughter! The western Sydney born and bred son of Italian and Maltese migrants,&nbsp;Les&nbsp;started work at Vittoria Coffee before he&rsquo;d even left school, loved it, and was asked back into the business while waiting for his HSC results.&nbsp;Les&nbsp;did indeed marry Luisa Cantarella, but he&rsquo;d already earned his business stripes in the eyes of her father Orazio Cantarella, who&rsquo;d started Vittoria in 1947 with his brother, importing Italian foods like cheese, pasta and mineral water.&nbsp;Les&nbsp;also had a successful stint outside the family business, having climbed executive ranks at Fiat.
But since those early days, once&nbsp;Les&nbsp;and Luisa Schirato gained control of Vittoria,&nbsp; with other family members and more recently their son and daughter, they&rsquo;ve built Vittoria into one of the largest and most successful family owned and run food and coffee groups in Australia. Along the way they turned Australia into a nation of coffee snobs and espresso lovers.

Luxury Escapes – Adam Schwab building a new, complete one-stop travel booking platform, still with deals and discounts

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